


Parallel Routes

by Maguiressunset



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2019-04-08 17:30:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14110428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maguiressunset/pseuds/Maguiressunset
Summary: They were switched at birth, and none of the parents were aware of this fact. They lived their lives happily and without any worries up until one of the children got sick and it was necessary to go to the hospital... Of course, it came as a shock when Robin found out that Roland wasn't biologically his. And now he has to find his true mother... So she can give her/his kid a kidney.





	Parallel Routes

Robin Martin Locksley. A thirty three year old man, lawyer, father, and a lover of Italian food. 

If Robin had been asked to describe himself that’s what he would instantly say. He was an ordinary man, really. He went to his job and was happy about it, took care of his seven year old son in the days he got custody, (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays mornings. But if his ex-wife was feeling kind he’d let him keep Roland till Monday), he went for matinee joggings at five AM every day, played golf in his free time and enjoyed to watch an episode of a TV show on Netflix right before sleep. Nothing uncommon, that was it was, simple. 

And his life had been exactly like that for the past year. After his divorce with Marian, he felt more… Relaxed. As if he had been too pressured in that marriage.  
Do not misunderstand him, he loved Marian, he really did but he wasn’t in love with her. And vice versa. One day, after a long fight with Marian, Robin had realized that neither of them had feelings for each other, not anymore.   
They were staying together only for Roland but they knew that if they stayed like this forever it would only make things worse. They would fight and fight all day every day and Roland would grow up in a home where he could only hear yelling.   
So no, Robin and Marian decided that things would be best if they separated. And they were right. A month after the divorce, everything felt lighter and things with Marian were friendly.

He was lucky, really. Not many people could say that they had a friendly divorce, or that they stayed friends with their former partner. Marian was a wonderful mother, a really good lawyer too.   
Everything was good, Robin had a good life and he was pretty damn content with it.  
That is… Until everything seemed to break apart.   
\-----------------------------------------------------------------

“Do you think he’s depressed?” Marian asked him, head tilted to one side and arms crossed over her chest, a soft frown was plastered across her brunette features. Robin bit his lower lip, passed his hands through his hair nervously and shrugged. In all honesty, Roland /did/ seem a bit down. He used to laugh plenty, sing when he was bored or doing his homework and he was overall a chatty, joyful seven year old boy. 

But since the divorce had happened, Roland now didn’t seem all that happy, he could see that his spirits were a bit down. Even his eyes didn’t look as lighted as before. Robin felt a pang of guilt. It was his fault, well, both of their faults, that their little son was depressed. Maybe if they had tried a little harder to preserve and work on their marriage, Roland would still be the happy little angel he used to be. Instead he just looked… Sick. His seven year old looked incredibly sick.

“Yeah… Maybe.” Robin answered with a shrug of his shoulders, then his blue eyes returned to the curly haired woman in front of him. She seemed concerned and worried, and with all reason. 

“I think it’s time to take him to a psychologist… Don’t you think? If we wait any longer the depression can only get worse and God knows what else could happen.” Marian started to ramble then, as he always did when she was nervous about something. Robin placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, squeezed it gently and returned his arm to his side. 

“I agree, Marian. But let’s not worry so much, alright? Everything will be fine, I promise.”   
Marian gave him half a smile and nodded. He had to believe that this was just a phase… They could get through this, Roland would get through this.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They were at Archibald Hopper’s office. Archibald was one of the best psychologists in Philadelphia, Robin had made sure of that. The red haired man was about to diagnose his son to see if he indeed had depression. It took Robin three weeks to find the best psychologist there was, because he wasn’t about to send his son to any wannabee psych. He wanted the best for his son.

Sitting right beside his curly haired boy, Robin placed a hand on Roland’s shoulder and squeezed it. “It will be okay, Rollie.” Robin said, looking at his nervous son. The boy was fidgeting with his hands, his face was looking down.

“Papa… Papa, I’m not feeling well.” The boy said, looking up at him with teary eyes. Robin’s heart ached for his son. The boy hadn’t been well for a month, Robin had realized. He looked tired, sad and sick. He released a breath and nodded.

“I know, son… But I promise you that this guy will help us, okay?” 

“Is he a doctor, papa?”

“Yeah, he is.” Robin assured the seven year old, hugging him tight to his chest. The boy nodded against his shirt, and Robin could swear that he saw a flicker of a smile crossing on his boy’s features. Good, that was good. Maybe what Roland needed was a bit of… Attention. Maybe after the divorce he felt alone, or something. Well, that could only be blamed on Robin but… They would get through this, he would make sure to give Roland everything he ever needed. His boy deserved everything in the world.

“Roland Locksley?” A tiny blonde haired woman stepped in front of them, she had a kind smile on her face and her blue eyes glinted with purity. 

“Hey…” Roland greeted the woman timidly, offering her a smile in return.

“Hello, little one. The doctor is ready to see you.” 

Taking a deep breath, the boy stood up and turned to his father. 

“Will you be waiting for me?” He asked with a shy, silent voice. 

“Always, son. Always. Don’t be nervous, okay?” 

“Okay.” Robin leaned to kiss his son’s forehead, then they smiled to each other before the boy entered to Hopper’s office. 

Not long after that, Robin’s cellphone vibrated. Glancing at the squared screen, he saw a text from Marian. The woman couldn’t join them for the meeting because she had a pretty big case in court and today she’d see if they won… But at least they would go for dinner afterwards, the three of them.

{How’s Roland? Is he okay? Is he already with Archie?}

Robin smiled at the screen, because he could picture Marian’s worried face as she typed, the way she would chew her nails in nervousness. 

{Yes, he is fine. He entered a minute ago, I think it will be all fine, Marian.}

He texted her back and then he just waited for Roland to come out from the office.   
\----------------------------------------------------

A tiny seven year old sat in a leather couch right in front of a red haired man. Said man had his brows furrowed, hands were clasped around a note pad and a pen. 

“So… Roland. Do you know why you’re here?” He asked the boy with a concerned tone.

“Yeah.” The boy nodded, looked at Archie. “You’re a doctor, right? Aren’t you going to help me?” 

“Of course. But first you have to tell me what’s exactly what you’re feeling.”

“I just feel so… Tired, all the time. And my tummy it hurts a lot.” He shrugged. Archie tilted his head to one side, then bit his lower lip.

“So,” the red haired man continued, “when did all of this started? Since your parent’s divorce?”

“Maybe… I think a few months later.” 

“Do you feel sad?” 

Roland’s head snapped up and he shook his head. “Uhm… No… But please, my stomach hurts a lot, more than usual. You have, you have to help me.” His tiny hands clasped at his stomach, he whined a bit and Archie could see a bit of sweat pooling out from the boy’s forehead.

At first he had thought the boy was a bit depressed… But now… Now it just seemed he was only physically sick. Nothing mental. Archie was about to say something else when the boy ran to the trash and started vomiting furiously into it. 

This wasn’t depression, at all.

“Rose!” The man called for his secretary in a loud voice at the same time he kneeled right beside the boy and held his shoulders and his tiny body. 

The blonde haired woman entered running to the office, a worried expression quickly enveloped on her face when she started at the scene right before her. 

“Let Mr. Locksley now that his son is puking blood.”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He was an idiot.

A complete, stupid idiot. How could he hadn’t even thought that Roland wasn’t depressed, that his mood had changed because he was physically sick? Marian and he had just directly diagnosed him that his change of mood had been thanks to the divorce and not once had they thought of asking Roland what was wrong. They had just assumed.

Damn it.

And he claimed to be one of the smartest lawyers in Philadelphia… Gods.  
Robin was sitting right in the waiting room, next to a fidgety Marian. 

“He was puking blood? Are you certain?” She asked, her voice breaking slightly thanks to the tears she was holding back.

“Yes, Marian… For the thousand time, I saw him.”

They were going to start fighting, he could feel it. That’s how they always started arguments, Marian said something, and Robin replied back in a moody way, she’d fight back and… And then it was pure yells and curses and horrible things he didn’t want to do right now. Not when his son was in a hospital bed, not when he had just found out how sick his son was. 

But the fight never happened because a balding man approached them. Quickly, the couple stood up, immediately recognizing Roland’s pediatrician. 

“This isn’t good news...” Dr. Foreman started talking, looking at them with a neutral expression.

“Just tell us.” Robin begged, his blue eyes were tired and defeated. He needed to know. 

“Alright…. Roland has kidney failure,” he started, took a deep breath, and crossed his arms in front of his torso, “it can be controlled with dialysis right now… But we need to find a new kidney in the next two months… Or else his body will start shutting off, or he will have to live with dialysis the rest of his life.”

A bomb dropped in Robin’s stomach, his shoulders slumped and he didn’t know if he was the one who sobbed, it could have been him… It could have been Marian. Who knows?

“The best matches for Roland is you. The parents are always 95% match. Especially the mother, but I would advise that both of you take the tests to see who’s a better match for Roland.”

The couple nodded and Marian spoke.

“Yes, anything for my son. Test us and cure him as soon as possible.”

Robin could only agree with his ex-wife.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

He was furious beyond belief.

This couldn’t be possible, this was a lie… A joke, something but it wasn’t reality.  
Robin was sitting, right in front of the doctor, as he told Marian and him and they weren’t Roland’s biological parents. That their blood wasn’t the same… Some bullshit that Robin couldn’t even comprehend. 

“What the /hell/ are you saying?” Robin snapped at the doctor, hands were clenched into fists. 

“Mr. Locksley… I am truly sorry for this,” he swallowed thickly, obviously nervous about the situation. In that moment an older black haired man entered the room, portraying a suit and a sympathetic smile on his face.

“Hello… I am the manager of the hospital,” he greeted them, shaking Robin’s and Marian’s hands, “I am aware of your situation… And the only possible explanation I can give you is that your son… Well, Roland, he was probably switched with another kid the day of the birth.” He stared at them, for a few seconds and Robin could only feel liquid anger swimming across his arteries. 

“Checking the records, in July 7 of 2009 there were two births in the hospital, and it is highly likely that your sons were switched.” 

Robin clenched his jaw, stepped closer to the man, glaring at him.

“You’ll find that other family, you’ll give us their numbers and we will have that kidney for /my/ son.”

The man looked down, he started to sweat.

“I can’t do that, sir… That information is completely confidential and I can’t give any information to anyone. It’s illegal. But we will fully pay for your son’s treatment… We will put you on the list to get a kidney.”

Robin didn’t even realize when his fist knocked on the man’s jaw, he heard bones crashing together and there was a dull throb in his muscles.

“We will sue you. And believe me, this hospital is going down.”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------

He would get the fucking information. He didn’t give a shit if it was illegal, he would find Roland’s biological information, and he would hunt them down and obligate them to give him a fucking kidney.

He didn’t care anymore.

So he called him, Frank.

Frank Delfino had been Robin’s friend for nearly fifteen years now. They had met when Robin was a student of the prestigious lawyer, Annalise Keating. He was a part of a group that worked for said lawyer and Frank also worked for her. In that year they had really bonded, 

Frank was an incredibly loyal man, and he was a great friend. He was a tad mysterious and shady but well, overall he was always there for him. And now he needed a favor.   
Frank was… He was some sort of private investigator, or the “fix it man”. Everything you asked him to do, he would do it without any messes or trouble. Flawless work every time. So he was the perfect man for this job.

“Frank,” he didn’t hesitate to start speaking on the phone once the other man picked up, “I need a favor mate.”

Frank’s deep voice greeted him, his sultry accent directed at him as he asked, worriedly, what was wrong. Then Robin proceeded to retell everything that had happened over the last few weeks. 

“Of course, I’ll help you with anything. You’ll get all the information by the end of the week.”  
And the phone call ended.  
\-------------------------------------------------

A week later, and he had the information he needed.

Regina Mills.

That was her name. The woman who gave birth to his child. He had her number, her address, knew what she worked in… Well, he had practically her whole life in these papers that were clasped in his hands.

Now he needed to find her… He assumed he would go to her house and just wait for her until she arrived, yes that’s exactly what he would do. He’d wait and wait until she finally appeared, no matter what.

That same night, the night that Frank had so kindly delivered him the information, Robin drove to the other side of Philly, parked his car in front of a pretty house and just waited, and waited until she appeared. 

And after a few hours… She finally did.

Robin quickly got down from his car and walked towards the brunette woman. He stood up right behind her and cleared his throat.

"Excuse me, are you Regina Mills?"


End file.
